What We Believe

The Holy Scriptures

We believe in the verbal (every word) and plenary (complete) inspiration of the Old and New Testaments; that they are the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried.Psalm 119:160; Romans 15:4; II Timothy 3:15-17; II Peter 1: 19-21; Revelation 22:18-19

The Godhead

We believe in one triune God, the Creator, Preserver, and Ruler of all things, eternally existing in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.Genesis 1:26; II Corinthians 13:14; Colossians 1:16-18; I John 5:7.We believe in the deity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, perfect God and perfect man; that He is God manifested in the flesh, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary; that He lived a sinless life on earth; that he died on Calvary's cross, shedding His blood as the only satisfactory sacrifice for sinners and payment for sin; that His body was buried in and arose from the tomb; that He ascended to Heaven and is now seated at the Father’s right hand in Heaven making intercession for us; and that He is coming again to establish His Kingdom on earth.Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Mark 14:62; 16:19; Acts 1:9-11; Acts 4:10-12, 5:30-31; II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:25We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity and is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; that He is the supernatural agent in regeneration; that He indwells all believers and seals them unto the day of redemption; and that He empowers, teaches, and guides believers.John 3:5-7; John 14:16-18, 26; John 16:7-8; Ephesians 1:13-14We believe that at the moment of salvation, the believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and that the believer does not seek the Spirit's baptism as an evidence of salvation. It is the believer’s responsibility to seek to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.Matthew 3:11; John 1:33; 3:5-7; Romans 6:3-5; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18

Creation

We believe the Genesis account of creation as being neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate, creative acts of God, in six, consecutive twenty-four hour days, without any evolutionary process; that man, spirit, soul and body, was created by a direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race.Genesis 1 and 2; Isaiah 45:18; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16, 17

Man

We believe that God created man in His own image, male and female, breathing into him the breath of life, and gave them dominion over the entirety of His creation. God formed Eve to be Adam’s helper, to complement his character, and to be his companion for life. God joined one man and one woman together in marriage, establishing a monogamous pattern of spiritual, emotional, and physical union for all time. We believe God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, and that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other. God’s institution of monogamous marriage between male and female is not only the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society, but pictures Christ’s union with His people through a male groom and female bride. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female. Deviations from God’s plan for human sexuality include sex outside the bonds of marriage, incest, bestiality, same-sex relations, transgenderism, same-sex marriage, polygamy, and polyamory and, therefore, are considered to be sinful practices and lifestyles.Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18; 2:22-24; Leviticus 18:6-18, 22;20:15-16; Matthew 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 1:26-27; 7:2-5; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9-10; 15-20; Ephesians 5:22-32; I Thessalonians 4:2-8; Revelation 21:9-13.

Salvation

We believe that a person is saved when he repents of his sin and exercises faith by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior; that salvation is a gift of eternal life wholly by the grace of God apart from merit or works; and that all who believe on Him are justified (declared righteous) on the basis of His shed blood.John 3:16-18; Acts 16:31; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:9, 10; I Corinthians 15:3.4; Ephesians 2:8, 9; II Peter 3:9We believe that all the redeemed of God are kept by God's power and are thus eternally secure in Christ forever, and that once a person is saved, he will always be saved.John 10:27-29; Philippians 1:6; II Timothy 1:12; I John 5:13

Sanctification

We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God accomplished in a threefold manner: first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Savior; second, a continuing process in the saint as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the life; third, the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return.John 17:17; I Corinthians 1:30; II Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 5:25,26,27; I Thess. 4:3,4; 5:23,24; Hebrews 10:10-14; 13:12

The Church

We believe that the local New Testament church is to be composed of regenerated, immersed believers, voluntarily united together for the purpose of worship, edification, ordinances, fellowship, and service; that the officers of the local church are pastors and deacons whose qualifications and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures; that the mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men, in the local community, and to the uttermost part of the earth; that the local church has the right to self-government, free from the interference of any individuals or organizations, religious or political; that the one and only Head is Christ, through the Holy Spirit; that it is scriptural for churches of like faith and practice to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel, with each local church as the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; and that on matters of membership, policy of government, discipline, benevolence, etc., the will of the local church is final.Acts 1:8; Acts 2:41-47; Acts 20:28- 31; Romans 1:7; Colossians 1:2; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; I Peter 5:1-5

Baptism

We believe that the Biblical ordinance of baptism is by immersion, the symbol of the believer's union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection; that every believer should be baptized because of the example and command of our Lord; and that while there is no saving power in water baptism, it is an act of obedience and public testimony by those who are already saved.Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5

The Lord's Supper

We believe that the Lord's Supper is an ordinance given to the church by the Lord Jesus Christ to remember and show forth the Lord's death till He comes; that the Lord's table should be open to all regenerated people living in fellowship with and obedience to the Lord Jesus; and that the elements representing the body and blood of Christ are symbolic and render in themselves no means of grace.Luke 22:14-20; I Corinthians 11:25-32

Satan

We believe that Satan is a supernatural being, a fallen angel, the author of sin, and was instrumental in the Fall; that he is the "god of this world," the "prince of the power of the air," and the open and declared enemy of God and man, and that his final destiny is eternal punishment in the lake of fire.Job 1:6-9; Ezekiel 28:1-19; Matthew 4:1-11; John 8:44; II Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; Revelation 20:10

Hell

We believe in a literal place called Hell, a place of torment, and that the Lake of Fire and Brimstone shall be the final destiny for the eternal punishment of Satan, fallen angels, demons, and unbelieving mankind.Luke 16:22-26; Revelation 20:12-15

Heaven

We believe in a literal place called Heaven where God's immediate presence is manifested, and where the redeemed and angels dwell; that it is Heaven from which Christ descended and to which, after the completion of His earthly ministry, He ascended bodily and there makes intercession for the saints, and from which He shall come to judge the living and the dead.John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 21

The Second Coming of Christ

We believe in the imminent, bodily, and premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air to catch away all believers unto Himself; and in the personal, visible, and glorious return of Christ to the earth, with believers, to judge the nations and to set up His millennial Kingdom on earth.Matthew 24:42-44; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:4-6

The Eternal State

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men; the saved to everlasting life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. We believe that the souls of the unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery and torment until the second resurrection when, with spirit, soul, and body, they shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated but to suffer everlasting punishment. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where, in conscious bliss, they await the first resurrection when spirit, soul, and a new body are united to be glorified forever with the Lord. The eternal dwelling place for God’s people will be the New Heaven and New Earth. I Corinthians 15; II Corinthians 5:6-8; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20-22